How to Polish Car Rims: Tools Needed

The previous post showed my Acura Integra stock rim, and the condition it was in. Something needed to be done and I decided to Polish my rim as a way to make it better and a way to learn to polish car rims.

Before you start any body work type project, you must get the right tools.

For this project, I first ordered the proper polishing compounds. I got this from Caswell Plating, and I ordered the wheel aluminum polishing kit. The kit comes with the black and brown compounds, White Rouge Liquid Polish and the proper wheels for the job.

Here is a picture of the kit:



To use the polishing compounds and the wheel provided, you need a drill that has a higher RPM value so it can sustain the amount of quick rotation needed to properly polish your wheels.

Lastly, you will need tools to strip and sand your wheels before being able to polish them. While I was told sanding is not necessary as the compound should get through it if you strip the paint properly, I did sand them to ensure it was level and to remove my curb rash.

Ensure the sandpaper you get is able to be wetsanded for when you do final sanding steps prior to polishing.

These are the tools I have used, however I've seen others have success with sanding their rims down completely to a really high grade of sandpaper such as 1000 grit, and then use a product like Mothers Aluminum Polish to shine them up. This also works great, and may be the method I try next time If i decide to polish my rims again.

In my next post, I will take you through the exact steps I have taken in polishing my rims.